Sports Writer for The Age

Another gold ... Jamaica's Usain Bolt gestures after running the final leg in the 4x100m relay victory. Photo: Reuters

Jamaica won the sprint relay, helping lightning strike for the third time. But it wouldn't be the Usain Bolt show without a massive headline ... and that was delivered emphatically with a new world record.

As ever, the Jamaicans' competition in the 4x100m relay was between, and within, themselves — firstly to get on the team, then to beat the clock. Jamaican sprinters, like Kenyan marathon runners, lose gold medals when they do not qualify for the national team.

It was a great championships, I'm happy. The team came out and gave it their all. I knew it [a world record] was possible. I wish we could have gone faster but I guess we leave room for improvement

When Bolt received the baton on the home straight, he was being shaded by the USA's 100m finalist, Ryan Bailey. By the time they crossed the line, though, Bailey was watching Bolt's backside. It's something Swedish handballers might find appealing, but it's the last thing Bailey wanted to look at in the final event of the night.

The time that flashed up on the clock? A new world record of 36.94 seconds. The Usain Bolt Show had delivered yet another encore performance.

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"It's always a beautiful thing to end on this note," Bolt said. "Last year we did it at the world championships, this year we did it again so for me it's a wonderful feeling to end on a high note.

"It was a great championships, I'm happy. The team came out and gave it their all. I knew it [a world record] was possible. I wish we could have gone faster but I guess we leave room for improvement."

First over the line ... Jamaica's Usain Bolt crosses ahead of Ryan Bailey of the US . Photo: Reuters

The relay victory gave Bolt a third gold medal - a team medal and hard earnt, but doubtless less significant than his 100m and 200m golds. It was the same colour as the others, but it was as meaningful as Adam Gilchrist belting Bangladesh — yes, it's nice to watch, but it pales in significance to an Ashes century. Bolt did however cement his place in Olympic folklore by claiming a second three-gold medal haul in successive Games.

An assured victory presented organisers with a predictable note on which to offer the final salute to the athletics on the last night at the track of this wonderful Olympic games. The only churlish moment came when an attendant officiously demanded Bolt hand over the baton that had just been taken around the track in world record time. Bolt, the IAAF male athlete of the year and the biggest figure in world sport presently, reasonably felt he might have done enough to retain it.

While the Jamaicans owned the track, Australia respectably took their small piece of it. The Australian team ran commendably to finish in a time of 38.43s — eighth across the line, technically seventh after Canada's disqualification, but certainly not trailing the field. After equalling the national record in the qualifying round, this was a relay team of talent and promise. They were again anchored home by Josh Ross who once more reminded that he was deserving of a chance to have run in the individual 100m as well.

Bolt does the double-treble

Anthony Alozie, who ran the first leg, said the team came with the goal of a top three finish and had done its best to achieve that. Isaac Ntiamoah, who took the baton from Alozie, said he found it pleasing that people had recognised the achievement of the team in getting to the final. "Walking out, people were congratulating us just for being there," he said..

Andrew McCabe, who ran the third leg, said Australia was now the seventh-ranked country in the world and that the team looked forward to improving on that in Rio.

Felix won a breakthrough gold in her pet event, the 200m, following silver in Beijing and Athens. But she then backed it up with two relay golds in the 4x100m and in today's 4x400m.

The American women won the relay in the same way that the Jamaican men won the 4x100m — the result was not the question, only the time. No world record, though ... they will have to be satisfied with running the fastest time in the world in 19 years.

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